By MARIA FEONA IMPERIAL
ACTIVATION of the on-screen verification (OSV) feature of vote-counting machines (VCMs) does not guarantee a fraud-free elections, a poll watchdog said Monday.
Vote buying and the use of military and paramilitary forces to coerce voters on election day are still possible even with safeguard features in the automated election system, Kontra Daya said in a letter addressed to the Commission on Elections.
Troubled by “unresolved issues” relating to the elections, the group, which has been monitoring elections since 2010, staged a protest to demand immediate action from the Comelec.
In its website, Kontra Daya said the role of police and military should be carefully monitored, especially with the rise of human rights violations such as the killings of lumads or indigenous peoples in Mindanao.
The group expressed alarm over reports of spending of public funds and the use of government resources in certain candidates’ electoral campaigns, but did not name names and give details.
Even though the Comelec en banc has ruled to disable the vote receipt-printing feature of VCMs, Kontra Daya said it is needed to verify that votes are recorded correctly, along with the OSV.
Earlier, Comelec said the vote receipts were disabled because it could be used for vote buying. (See On-screen machine feature to be enabled in elections)
But Kontra Daya information technology expert Rick Bahague Jr.? said the Comelec can require the voter to drop the printed vote receipt into another ballot box to ensure that he or she won’t bring it outside the precinct.
Comelec earlier said in a resolution the printing of vote receipts would entail additional costs. It would also mean further bidding for the receptacles of vote receipts and the supply of thermal paper for the printouts.
Earlier today, the Supreme Court ordered the Comelec to issue vote receipts, granting the petition of senatorial aspirant Richard Gordon.
Comelec said the decision will “materially impact” their preparations for the 2016 polls.
Bahague said Kontra Daya welcomes Comelec’s decision to enable the OSV feature, but added it was not tested during the Feb. 13 nationwide mock elections.
Among the group’s observations at the Kalibo Pilot Elementary School in Aklan during the mock polls were discrepancies between the automated results and the manual audit count of votes, erratic transmission of electoral results and the numerous ballots rejected and misread by the VCMs. (See Minor glitches in voting machines during mock polls)
“If the automated polls cannot accurately record and count our votes, then the outcome, especially in a race as tight as this one, would seriously be in doubt,” Bahague said in a press release. “Candidates as well as the electorate will have every reason to question the results.”
Recent preelection surveys reveal a tight race between presidential bets Sen. Grace Poe and Vice President Jejomar Binay, who tied in first place. (See What the surveys say)
Earlier, poll chief Bautista said discrepancies between the automated results and the actual ballot, which can be verified through the OSV, are most likely to be caused by the level of shading of voters.
Last week, Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez debunked the possibility of a systematic electoral rigging since the voters can countercheck their votes through the OSV, and correct them in case their votes are read inaccurately by the VCM.
